INTRODUCTION: The remarkable history of the herapathite crystal is an example of how a simple chemical reaction from the 19th century leads to successful achievements in various fields of science and business. In the field of pharmaceutical analysis, the herapathite reaction is used as a method for selectively registering the presence of the alkaloid quinine. Moreover, the product, herapathite crystals, has the ability to polarize light, which made it useful in the optical technologies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was conducted in various databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and others).
AIM: This article reveals the history and the utilization of herapathite crystals.
CONCLUSION: Over the years, herapathite crystals have challenged the scientific chemistry community. Besides being an analytical sign for determining the presence of alkaloid quinine, herapathite has a great effect on the scientific understanding and utilization of polarized light and the development of modern optical technologies.
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